|
(Musa spp.) A banana plant is used
for more than just its fruit. Its flowers, leaves and trunk are also
important in the cuisines of some Asian and Pacific countries. In Sri
Lanka, the skins of green plantains are also used to make a taste
accompaniment.
The heart of the main stem is featured in
more than one South East Asian dish and notably the national dish of
Burma, a spicy fish soup called Moh Hin Gha. It is also used in a
Balinese chicken soup with different spicing and stock instead of
coconut milk. The tender inner portion of the trunk is eaten in
Thailand, either boiled and dipped in nam prik or cooked in curries.
The word 'trunk' implies a tree, but
botanically speaking the banana is a giant herb. What makes the upright
stem is actually the thick, overlapping bases of the leaves. Although
not strictly accurate, the term 'trunk' does help identify which part of
the plant provides the ingredient.
In the islands of the Pacific the outer
layers of banana trunk are used as dishes. Thick enough to be rigid, the
surface smooth and waterproof, and the shape curved so they can hold
even a dish with gravy, they make great disposable dinnerware.
Another useful part of the banana plant is
the leaves. In southern India they are used as plates, and for this the
middle rib is retained. In almost every Asian country, the leaves are
used as a wrapping for food to be cooked or deftly shaped into dainty
serving cups or cones or square containers. For this purpose the thick
mid-rib is discarded after cutting off the flexible leaf. A piece of
banana leaf with its naturally smooth surface takes the place of
grease-proof paper or foil for smoothing the top of sweet-meats, rice
cooked in coconut milk, and other dishes.
The traditional Sir Lankan meal of Lampries
(parcels of fragrant rice, curries and accompaniments wrapped in a
banana leaf and baked) would lack a vital flavor component were the
banana leaf to be omitted. Before using fresh banana leaf as a wrapping,
pass over a flame to soften and make it flexible. Alternatively, blanch
in boiling water for a few seconds. This renders the leaves pliable for
easier handling.
Once a banana plant has borne fruit, it has
outlived its usefulness. This is the perfect time to harvest it. The
rhizome sends up suckers to replace the parent plant and , in this way,
a banana can continue to produce for up to 60 years from the original
rhizome. Before the heart can be cooked or eaten, the outer layers are
discarded and the tender innermost portion sliced and soaked in a basin
of salted water for several hours. This procedure draws the sap into
strands which can be easily pulled away. When cutting down banana
saplings, wear old clothes and gloves as the sap is fiendishly sticky
and staining.
|
